New Jersey Makes History With Largest Offshore Wind Power Project Commitment

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New Jersey Makes History with Largest Offshore Wind Power Project Commitment

Anna Vecchio

Jun 21, 2019

TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously today to select New Jersey’s first, and America’s largest, offshore wind energy project. The Ocean Wind project was awarded Offshore Renewable Energy Credits (OREC) for 1,100 MW – enough to power approximately 500,000 New Jersey homes with clean, renewable energy. Ocean Wind will be developed 15 miles off the coast of Atlantic City by Ørsted. This represents the single largest offshore wind project commitment by any state to date.

The National Wildlife Federation joined its New Jersey affiliate, NJ Audubon Society, along with a broad and diverse coalition, in applauding Governor Murphy’s leadership on offshore wind development.

“This is the single largest victory for renewable energy in New Jersey history and it would not have happened without Governor Murphy’s leadership,” said Curtis Fisher, Northeast Regional Executive Director at the National Wildlife Federation. “In awarding contracts for enough offshore wind energy to power roughly 500,000 homes, New Jersey is making a dramatic transformation from a fossil powered past to a clean, affordable and reliable energy future powered by offshore wind. We congratulate Ørsted and look forward to continuing our work with all offshore wind industry leaders, as well as state and federal regulators, to ensure that all projects are developed responsibly with strong protections in place for coastal and marine wildlife.”

"We congratulate Ørsted on the announcement of their winning bid to build 1,100 MW of responsibly developed offshore wind power 15 miles off our coasts and thank the BPU and Murphy Administration for their continued commitment to aggressively fighting climate change,” said Eric Stiles, President & CEO of NJ Audubon Society. “We look forward to continuing to work with the Administration and Ørsted to ensure the goal of responsibly developed offshore wind power that provides clean energy while also respecting our natural resources and wildlife."

Today’s action builds on the Murphy Administration’s early, bold leadership to jumpstart offshore wind energy for New Jersey. Upon taking office, Governor Murphy signed Executive Order 8 directing the state to develop a comprehensive Offshore Wind Strategic Plan and signed a bill committing New Jersey to 3,500 MW – a tripling of the state’s offshore wind policy. The BPU is now moving forward with the nation’s most aggressive offshore wind procurement schedule, with additional project awards set for 2020 and 2022. Together with today’s announcement, these actions send a clear message to the booming offshore wind industry that New Jersey is ready to reap the many environmental and economic benefits of this transformational climate change solution.

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